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Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Published on Project Noah
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33.1468, -117.009

Field Notes

Description:

Gray bird with white markings on wings and light colored breast. Does a nice dance extending wings in jerky movements (video included). This bird is Wildlife with Special Adaptations (see Notes).

Habitat:

Backyard near bushes/trees full of birds

Notes:

"northern mockingbirds learn and repeat the songs of other species. An individual can learn up to 200 songs during its lifetime. These birds don’t just repeat other birdsongs randomly. It appears that males have two separate sets of songs for the spring and fall seasons. In addition to birdsong, northern mockingbirds repeat dog barks, musical instruments, and sirens." - National Wildlife Federation

Reference Links:

Northern Mockingbird

Species ID Suggestions

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos
KathleenMcEachern
2

Comments (7)
HemaShah
Also did you notice that there are no brown specks on the chest?
HemaShah
Wow Cindy. Isn't that amazing. It is such a great feeling when you find a fact that explains a certain kind of behavior. It seems that everything has a reason .
KathleenMcEachern
Yes, it was great to see your video. I haven't seen this in person myself! But it reminded me of a mockingbird "battle" that I saw on the Galapagos Islands a few years ago. Two teams of mockingbirds were lined up opposite each other and a lot of posturing and vocalization was going on. There was contact too and I thought one might get hurt but they finally ended it without any wounds. Lots of wing flapping and jerky movements there too.
CindyBinghamKeiser
Thank you for the ID birdlady6000! It was such a gift to see it dance. It was the first dancing bird I've seen in person :) Emma, you're very welcome!

Spotted for Missions

Mission
WILD Cities: Urban Biodiversity
Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Southern California Wildlife
Mission
Global Flight
Mission
NWF: Watch for Wildlife!

Tags

Photographed
PublishedJuly 31, 2011

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